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Santa Ana College
Medical Assisting Department
Fall 2012 Program Review - 19QT
I.
Goals and Objectives
1. What are the department’s annual goals? How do the department goals align with the college
mission statement and the Santa Ana College Strategic Plan?
 Recruitment
 Distribute MAP flier promoting the program with certificate & degree options
(Goal met)
 Increase male student enrollment by 2% annually; currently @ 12% male gender
ratio; goal = 25% (Goal met)
 Participate in both on and off campus recruitment activities (Goal met)
 Participation in community activities and meetings that are appropriate to the
Medical Assisting Program (Goal met)
 Enrollment
 Monitor trends and evaluate need for reduction or addition of course offerings and
sections (Goal met)
 Assess need for additional evening sections offerings (Goal met)
 Curriculum
 Assess and evaluate the MAP curriculum in meeting community employment
needs (Goal met)
 Assess and evaluate MAP unit requirements for the Medical Assisting Certificate
and Degree options (Goal met)
 Investigate On-Line Distance Education for Medical Terminology Courses
(Goal not met)
 Investigate expanding access to Bloodborne & Airborne Pathogens via Distance
Learning and BlackBoard Course Availability (Goal met)
 Retention and Completion
 Monitor and evaluate individual course student retention and completion rates
(Goal met)
 Assess and evaluate student completion rates for the Medical Assisting Certificate
and Degree option's (Goal met)
 National Accreditation
 Create a timeline for the AAMA accreditation process (Goal not met)
 Identify AAMA accreditation self-study components in pre-planning for
compliance with AAMA accreditation standards (Goal not met)
 Faculty/Department Chair Replacement
 AAMA Certification for the Faculty/Department Chair of Medical Assisting (Goal
met)
 Facilities
 Russell Hall Remodel (Goal not met)
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Program Improvement / Student Success
 Each semester the faculty will access, review, and revise a core competency and
related student learning outcome (Goal met)
The Santa Ana College Medical Assisting Program prepares competent entry-level medical
assistant students to perform administrative and clinical tasks to support the work of medical
doctors and other health professionals in our diverse community. The annual goals of the
department are focused on student achievement, use of technology, innovation, community,
workforce development and our emerging American community and these are aligned with
the mission of Santa Ana College.
2. What progress has been made toward the department’s goals over the last year? What causes
can be identified (population/demographic trends, industry, technology, lack of resources)?
 There is positive growth and development of the department goals over the last year. Medical
Assistant is an occupation identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as the number one
occupation for the emerging work force. Individual course offerings have been filled to
maximum capacity with waiting lists of students needing the required five classes for
certificate of proficiency and degree requirements.
3. What research has the department conducted?
 The Medical Assisting department has conducted one student survey focused on
communication and an employer survey of the employers in the community who are hosting
MA001 Cooperative Work Study Students.
4. Do goals need to be restructured, eliminated or pursued with different activities?
 The goal of Department Chair Replacement can be deleted as Catherine Emley, MN, BSN,
BA has effectively assumed the role of Department Chair of the Medical Assisting
Department since fall of 2009. The goals of recruitment, enrollment and retention will
continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis to meet student and institutional outcomes. The
curriculum and program improvement and student success were recently evaluated in the
Quadrennial Review Process in the spring of 2012 and have approval of the Curriculum and
Instruction Council. The renovation of Russell Hall has not begun, however there is hope
with recent legislative victories that will result in funding for a new Health Sciences Building
for Santa Ana College. Modernization of classrooms and Skills Laboratory upgrades will
enhance the educational process for each medical assisting student. National Accreditation
continues to be a conceptual goal and there is not institutional support at this time to move
forward with standards that need to be in place throughout the Medical Assisting Program for
the approval process of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational
Programs.
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5. What are the proposed goals for next year?
 The goals of the Medical Assisting Program will continue to target the diverse community we
serve and will focus on the healthcare careers of competent entry level medical assistants. In
terms of research we will target the core competency of civic responsibility and information
competency. We will upgrade the department webpage and continue to use social media to
connect with students, employers and promote the program. The Department Chair will apply
to become a California Certified Medical Assistant according to the standards of the
California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants. A program brochure is being designed for
marketing the program and department banners and storyboards for career fairs and outreach
activities. In terms of curriculum a course offering on venipuncture would enhance program
quality and improvement and is based on employer survey results of SAC MA Externs.
II.
Core Competencies / Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
6. Please summarize findings of direct - SLO assessment from the previous academic year. How has this
informed future plans for the program? What is the plan of action for addressing outcomes of SLO
assessments?
 Fall 2011 Core Competency of Thinking and Reasoning was measured with a comparative
analysis of how curriculum is delivered.
 Summarize Findings:
Spring 2011
N = 73
Grade
Distribution
Grade
Percentage
Summer
2011
N = 30
Grade
Distribution
Grade
Percentage
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
A
B
C
D
F
37
18
12
3
3
51%
25%
16%
4%
4%
A
B
C
D
F
19
6
4
1
0
64%
20%
13%
3%
0
Spring 2011 = 92% pass rate
Summer 2011 = 97% pass rate
Advanced Medical Terminology MA051B is a course designed to follow MA051A in
sequence to build upon concepts of comprehending medical terminology in the context of
human anatomy and physiology, diagnostic tests and pathology of the nervous,
cardiovascular, respiratory, circulatory, musculoskeletal, skin, sensory and the endocrine
systems.
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There are multiple issues involved in this student learning outcome project.
o The issue of format of curriculum presented over a 4 week (summer session) or 16
week (standard semester) period of time.
o The second factor is how the course curriculum is tested. During the summer session
students were quizzed on material one chapter at a time with 25 testing items. During
the spring semester students were given a test on two chapters of material at a time
with 50 items. Based on student feedback, the preference was to focus on one chapter
of material at a time and be accountable and tested on that content.
o A third factor to be considered is class size 30 students versus 73 students. Is there
better quality of instruction in smaller class size offerings?
In reviewing the data, 84% of the students in the summer cohort achieved an A or a B in the
course as opposed to 76% of the students in the spring cohort. The summer group had only
3% on non-passing grades as compared to the 8% of non-passing rates in the spring.
Faculty implemented a change in delivery of curriculum and designed material to be tested in
smaller amounts of material more frequently as opposed to more information tested less
frequently. This change will continue to be reevaluated in the next evaluation of student
achievement and student learning outcomes.
Spring 2012 Core Competency of Communication was measured focusing on assignments
offered throughout the curriculum that reflect communication skills.
Summarize Findings:
Students were surveyed to determine how course requirements demonstrate communication
skills.
100% of students think it is reasonable for medical assisting students to demonstrate
proficiency in speaking, reading and writing so that their message of communication will be
understood by the listener
Medical Assisting Students identified course assignments that reflect communication skills.
Of the 10 assignments designated, the top 4 responses were:
 83% Completing homework
 78% Reading textbook
 73% Verbal contributions in class
 72% Using Blackboard
95% of the students surveyed identified speaking as a communication skill
92% identified listening as a communication skill
86% identified writing as a communication skill
69% indicated body language as a communication skill
70% of the students are aware of a student learning outcome for communication. The medical
assisting faculty would like to increase this percentage to >90%
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VI.
Assessment of Conclusions and Recommendations
18. Based on the analysis, what changes are recommended for the program?
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The Medical Assisting Department has completed the capstone quadrennial review process in
2012 and has the stamp of approval of the Santa Ana College Curriculum and Instruction
Council. The program was updated in Curricunet format and all curriculum and student
learning outcomes were reviewed and/or revised per recommendations.
19. What issues have emerged that require interdisciplinary dialogue and possible inclusion in
overall college planning?
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As previously stated, the goal of accreditation for the Santa Ana College Medical Assisting
Department continues on the horizon. I would like to entertain dialogue of institutional
support to have a designated Medical Assisting Lab with front and back office simulation
environments. Perhaps space allocation in the new Health Sciences Building can be
designated for the Medical Assisting Department. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
venipuncture and clinical externships of 120 hours for all graduates with degrees are
accreditation benchmarks. Designated funding for conferences and the accreditation process
have to be researched in order to be successful.
Respectfully submitted,
Catherine Emley, MN, BSN, BA
Department Chair, Medical Assisting Department
November 21, 2012